Chromium has been touted as a convert-excess-body-fat-to-muscle wonder---and it simply does NOT do that. There is ample evidence in peer-reviewed medical literature to refute that claim. HOWEVER, it does appear to have value for blood sugar control in diabetics. By extension, some believe that people who are particularly sugar-sensitive benefit from supplementation. (The premise being that wild fluctuations in blood sugar promote cravings, etc.---there's little evidence to support this.)

But it's important to remember that chromium is a trace mineral---supplementation should be cautious, and not taken with in a more-is-better approach. I know that my diabetic husband, who takes a single, 200 mcg capsule each day (167% of the RDA), has achieved MUCH greater control of his blood glucose since he started taking it. For him, this is critical, as his blood vessels are already seriously compromised by the diabetes. For nondiabetics, it might not be worth the bucks spent---most of us don't need such rich urine